Friday, June 24, 2016

This afternoon I was starting to debox my Made to Move Tan Blonde and was faced with a decision. Did she keep her body or was it going to either A: Crazy for Coral or B: Leather and Ruffles. As much as I am loving Leather and Ruffles, I was afraid putting her on a Made to Move body wouldn't fit that big character she exudes.

As with any major decision, I decided to procrastinate and move on to something else. I have been putting off my review of High Frequency Kumi. There is one small problem with this doll - her body skin tone is a tad different than her face up. Lately, IT has been all over the place with skin tones. One doll can be produced with different color bodies (ex: Inner Spark Natalia). I purchased another High Frequency body on secondary market right after the convention for a good price, so I thought it was worth a shot. Unfortunately the bodies were identical; however, when I placed the body down, it was right next to Leather and Ruffles. O.M. Goodness, I couldn't believe my eyes!

As much as I love the Made to Move bodies, my very favorite doll bodies ever produced have been the NuFace and Monogram bodies. I am so pleased with the results! So let's try some leather …

She really pulls off this body! How about a little face?

And instead of ruffles, how about some lace?

Let's get casual for the weekend.

And a final photo - Collectors have started calling this doll "Tayla" which blends "tall" with "Kayla". I think that will be her name here also.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

I LOVE this Mattel idea and it seems to keep getting better. A doll friend of mine posted the next two dolls in this line a few days ago; she had found them on Amazon. Having a gift card that was burning a hole in my wallet, I naturally followed her lead.

First, here is the blonde with a tan.

I haven't deboxed her yet. I'm afraid she is going to have her body stolen by Ruffles & Leather! It's nice that Mattel is adding all the skin tones. There are several dolls that will benefit from this doll's coloring.

Next up is the redhead.

I think she is my second favorite from the six dolls in this lineup. (The brunette is my first.) I love those freckles.

While out running errands today, I stopped at a flea market and squealed with delight when I found this vintage Irwin Austin Healey. The windshield is in tact and not cracked! None of the chrome has broken off! It has faded a little with age and some of the chrome has peeled, but it is in excellent shape for 50 years old! And the best part is that it cost only $17!

MTM Redhead agrees. She can't wait to cool off at the beach; having some nice wheels to get there is a luxury! See ya later!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

I sold my Never Ordinary Twins Eden and Lillith to another collector for my cost. I'm not ready to add dolls to my collection that are poorer examples of molds I already own. (Please do not send me hate mail on this - I truly believe Hard Metal, Great Pretender, and Sweet Nothings are better screened.) I knew they wouldn't get the redress and play enjoyment to merit their $200 price tag. I have also decided to steal the body from from Voltage Erin and have listed Energetic Presence Giselle on Mister Dollface.

That means from all the NuFace dolls offered in 2015, I've only kept Evening Blossom Dominique (LOVE HER!), Polarity Nadja, Up All Night Lillith, and Out of Sight Nadja. I recently added High Frequency Kumi and will be spotlighting her soon.

I have also listed on Mister DollfaceBlack Tie Vanessa Perrin and As Dusk Falls Eugenia Frost. Since Integrity Toys hasn't released promotional material yet on their mainline or NuFace dolls and my love/hate relationship continues with Poppy Parker, doll collecting here in GA has been dryer than the weather.

My thirst for something fun and different in my collection needed drenching! And who would've thought that spring of sunshine would've come from Mattel's newest groups of Fashionista Barbies?

Let's start with Pizza Pizazz. I refer to this mold as the Shania Twain mold because the Made To Move (MTM) version reminds me so much of the country singing star. Here she is:

Who can resist a very dark haired doll with blue eyes? Not me! Add an Asian MTM body and you got something special!

I really do like this doll a lot. Her retail was $19.99. (Add $14.99 for the MTM body and you have an articulated doll for $35. Plus you got two additional ensembles. I love the t-shirt!)

I had turned away from her at Target and Walmart because her face seemed "fat", but found this perfect version at Toys R Us. I think the glue they are putting inside the heads of some of these dolls are making the heads out of shape. (Do you think I left Target empty-handed? Not when Pretty in Paisley was looking at me so plaintively.)

Another MTM body (this time from Shania Twain's sister) and a fun new doll with streaked hair and two additional outfits - I love the orange sundress with this one!

Let's not forget the Fab Fringe Fashionista that arrived today from Amazon. An AA Made to Move body and wowza!

Arriving with Fab Fringe was her friend, Leather and Ruffles Fashionista.

I got four dolls and seven ensembles for $140. (That includes the four MTM dolls purchased as body donors.) I spent about the same amount of money of these four dolls as the retail price of one Integrity doll. I know the quality is different. But the sheer play enjoyment of these four dolls outshines any IT doll I've received in the past six months. Makes me pause to think….

About Me

I've been collecting dolls my entire adult life. I have antique bisque dolls from the 1800's, Vogue Ginny Dolls from the early 1960's, Barbies, Silkstones, FR, Misaki, Dynamite Girls, Momoko, Tonner, Gene. A litte bit of everything. I guess my favorite bumper sticker sums up my life. "I set off to conquer the world but got distracted by something sparkly."

Guidelines for Collecting Dolls and Having A Funner Life and Hobby

Guideline 2: No Impulse Buying. Wait at least 24 hours after seeing someone's post before doing a search on e-bay for that item.

Guideline 3: If a new doll comes in the house, one doll must leave the house. It does not have to be the same quality or type. It can be sold, given to someone, or donated. Dolls given to me as gifts do not count.

Guideline 4: No doll stays in its box for more than two weeks, it either comes out of the box or is sold. When multiple dolls arrive together, two weeks is given to each doll that arrives. If it is decided the doll must stay but within its box, a NRFB already in the collection must be deboxed.

Guideline 5: Excluding convention dolls or Exclusives, I will not pay more than retail for any doll. My Grail dolls are exceptions, but they are limited to a very exclusive list.

Guideline 6: Never buy a doll without seeing a photo of it. Even a promo photo counts.